W.  H.  DENNISTON, 

MEMBER   OF  ASSEMBLY. 

1894. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


"  IN  HAULS  OF  STATE  HE  STOOD  FOR  MANY  YEARS, 
LIKE  FABLED  KNIGHT  HIS  VISAGE  ALL  AGLOW, 
RECEIVING,  GIVING  STERNLY,  BLOW  FOR  BLOW." 

"  THE  GAP  THIS  BREACH  HATH  LEFT  IS  WIDE, 

THE  LOSS  THEREOF  CAN  NEVER  BE  SUPPLIED." 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF  THE 


SENATE  AND  ASSEMBLY 


OF  THE 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 


ON  THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF 


JAMES   GILLESPIE   ELAINE. 


Albany,  February  13,  1893. 


ALBANY : 

JAMES  B.  LYON,  STATE  PRINTER. 
1893. 


PROCEEDINGS 


OF  THE 


SENATE  AND  ASSEMBLY 


OF  THE 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 


ON  THE  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF 


JAMES   GILLESPIE   ELAINE. 


Albany,  February  13,  1893. 


ALBANY: 

JAMES  B.  LYON,  STATE  PRINTER. 
1893. 


JOINT  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  LEGISLATURE. 


ON  THE  PART  OF  THE  SENATE. 

GEORGE    F.   ROESCH,  CLARENCE    E.   BLOODGOOD, 

CHARLES    T.  SAXTON. 


ON  THE  PART  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY. 

JAMES    H.  SOUTHWORTH,  JOHN    A.  HENNESSY, 

ALFRED    HENNEN    MORRIS,  JAMES    TERRY, 

JOHN     M.   DIVEN. 


550624 


PROCEEDINGS 


LEGISLATURE  OF  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


RELATIVE  TO  THE 


JAMES  GILLESPIE  ELAINE. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SENATE. 


IN  SENATE,  January  27,  1893. 

Mr.  CANTOR  offered  the  following : 

Resolved  (if  the  Assembly  concur),  That  a  joint  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  three  Senators  and  five  Members  of 
Assembly,  be  appointed  by  the  respective  presiding 
officers  of  the  two  Houses,  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
resolutions  in  memory  of  the  deceased  statesman,  James 
G.  Elaine. 

The  PRESIDENT  put  the  question  whether  the  Senate 
would  agree  to  said  resolution,  and  it  was  decided  in 
the  affirmative. 

Out  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  James  G.  Elaine, 
Senator  CANTOR  moved  that  the  Senate  adjourn  until 
Monday  evening  at  8.30. 

The  PRESIDENT  put  the  question  whether  the  Senate 
would  agree  to  said  motion,  and  it  was  decided  in  the 
affirmative. 

Whereupon  the  Senate  adjourned. 


JANUARY  31,  1893. 

The  Assembly  returned  the  concurrent  resolution 
relative  to  the  appointment  of  a  joint  committee  to 
draft  resolutions  in  memory  of  James  G.  Elaine,  with 
a  message  that  they  have  concurred  in  the  passage 
of  the  same. 

9 


FEBETTAKY  1,  1893. 

The  PRESIDENT  appointed  Messrs.  Koesch,  Bloodgood 
and  Saxton  as  the  committee  on  the  part  of  the  Senate, 
to  draft  suitable  resolutions  relative  to  the  death  of 

James  G.  Elaine.  

FEBRUARY  13,  1S93. 

Mr.  SAXTON,  on  behalf  of  the  joint  committee  of 
the  Senate  and  Assembly,  to  draft  suitable  resolutions 
appropriate  to  the  death  of  James  G.  Blame,  presented 
the  following  on  behalf  of  the  Senate : 

WHEREAS,  By  the  death  of  James  Gillespie  Blaine, 
this  country  has  lost  one  of  her  most  illustrious  sons,  a 
a  brilliant  historian,  an  eloquent  orator,  a  matchless 
debater,  and  accomplished  publicist,  a  great  and  renowned 
statesman,  one  whose  genius  has  left  an  indelible  impress 
for  good  upon  our  political  life  and  national  policies ;  one 
whose  fame,  leaping  beyond  the  borders  of  his  own  land, 
has  spread  through  all  civilized  nations ;  one  who  loved 
his  country  with  the  fervent  love  of  the  true  patriot,  and 
who  had  a  warmer  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  American 
people  than  any  other  man  of  his  time. 

Resolved,  That  this  Senate  give  public  expression 
to  the  profound  sense  of  loss  felt  at  this  time  by  all 
classes  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  Empire  State;  their 
gratitude  for  his  priceless  services ;  their  sorrow  for  his 
death  and  respect  for  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions,  with  the  preamble,  be 
spread  on  the  journal  of  the  Senate,  and  an  engrossed 
copy  of  the  same  forwarded  to  his  bereaved  family,  with 
the  assurance  of  the  deep  sympath}^  felt  for  them  by  the 
individual  members  of  this  body. 

In  moving  the  adoption  of  the  foregoing  resolutions, 
Mr.  SAXTON  spoke  as  follows : 

Mr.  PRESIDENT. —  The  career  of  James  G.  Blaine  was 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  remarkable  in  our 

10 


games  CSiUesple 


political  history.  His  official  life  commenced  in  1853, 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  House  of  the  Maine 
Legislature.  He  served  four  years  in  that  body,  twice 
as  its  presiding  officer.  In  1862  he  became  a  representa- 
tive in  Congress  from  one  of  the  Maine  districts,  and 
for  fourteen  years,  I  think,  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives was  the  arena  for  the  exercise  of  his  extraordi- 
nary talents.  Three  times  he  was  chosen  Speaker  of 
the  House,  and  afterward  leader  of  the  Republican 
minority.  In  1876  he  lacked  but  a  few  voters  for  the 
presidential  nomination  by  the  Republican  National 
Convention.  Soon  after,  he  entered  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  from  which  he  retired  to  accept  the 
portfolio  of  State  in  President  Garfield's  Cabinet.  In 
1884  he  became  the  standard-bearer  of  the  Republican 
party  in  the  national  campaign  of  that  year,  but 
although  he  made  a  gallant  and  splendid  fight  he  was 
defeated.  Like  other  of  our  greatest  men  he  was 
destined  never  to  grasp  the  glittering  prize  of  the 
presidency.  Doubtless,  he  felt  at  times,  as  all  have 
felt  in  hours  of  failure,  "the  emptiness  of  all  things, 
from  politics  to  pastimes,"  but  no  personal  disaster 
had  power  to  break  his  spirit  or  weaken  his  love  and 
loyalty  for  his  native  land. 

His  last  public  position  was  that  of  Secretary  of 
State  in  the  present  administration,  and  his  brilliant 
course  during  the  three  years  that  he  filled  that  great 
office  not  only  added  brighter  luster  to  his  fame,  but 
gained  him  the  respect  and  admiration  even  of  his 
political  adversaries.  In  the  earlier  part  of  his  career 
he  may  have  been  too  much  of  the  mere  politician, 
but  time  and  experience  had  ripened  him  into  the 

11 


Jn 


firm,  sagacious,  broad-minded,  far-sighted,  progressive 
and  patriotic  statesman.  His  pan- American  policy  was 
the  consummation  of  his  political  life,  and  proved  to 
all  that  his  genius  for  statecraft  was  of  the  very  highest 
order.  The  new  world  is  the  home  of  republics  as  the 
old  world  is  of  monarchies.  Believing  that  the  destinies 
of  America  should  not  be  controlled  by  the  political 
formulas  of  Europe,  but  should  be  fixed  by  the  laws 
of  her  own  growth  and  development,  he  grasped  the 
idea  of  binding  together  the  nations  of  the  western 
hemisphere  by  bonds  of  friendship  and  mutual  interest ; 
and  then  put  his  conception  into  practical  form  by 
inaugurating  a  movement  that  must  result  in  establish- 
ing the  most  cordial  relations  between  this  country  and 
her  sister  republics. 

What  would  the  history  of  our  recent  politics  be 
without  James  G.  Blaine  ?  Every  page  is  illuminated 
with  the  flashings  of  his  master  intellect.  Every  ques- 
tion he  touched  with  the  magic  of  his  genius  sprang 
into  new  and  glowing  life.  No  matter  what  he  did 
he  always  produced  the  effect  of  a  bit  of  vivid  color 
in  a  somewhat  somber  and  monotonous  landscape.  He 
was  the  center  of  every  political  movement.  All  eyes 
were  turned  toward  him,  some  with  a  sympathetic 
interest  that  never  waned,  and  others  reluctantly,  as  if 
drawn  by  a  power  of  fascination  they  could  not  resist. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  by  common  consent 
the  most  illustrious  of  our  public  men.  We  were 
accustomed  to  regard  him  as  the  foremost  of  American 
citizens,  a  title  which  is  a  prouder  decoration  than  a 
scepter  or  a  crown.  Thoroughly  American  in  every 
fiber  of  his  being,  his  ambition  was  to  enhance  the 

12 


lattie. 


glory  and  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  American 
republic.  While  he  was,  as  will  generally  be  conceded, 
the  greatest  statesman  of  the  post  lellum  period,  he 
was  also  pre-eminent  as  a  historian,  a  parliamentarian, 
an  orator  and  a  diplomat. 

But  we  think  of  him  most  frequently  as  a  popular 
leader.  With  a  charming  personality,  a  wonderful 
power  of  strong  and  luminous  statement,  a  dashing, 
chivajric  spirit  that  excited  the  imagination,  and  a 
daring  that  sometimes  bordered  upon  audacity,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  "  Plumed  Knight "  was  the  idol  of 
his  own  party,  or  that  he  was  able  to  wring  from  his 
opponents  the  tribute  of  unwilling  praise.  He  was 
unquestionably  the  most  popular  man  of  his  time,  and 
I  doubt  if  any  American  statesman  ever  enjoyed,  during 
his  lifetime,  so  great  a  share  of  popular  favor  as  did 
James  G.  Elaine.  He  had,  in  a  notable  degree,  that 
quality  which  we  call  magnetism.  Wherever  he  went 
he  was  received  with  an  enthusiasm  which  no  other 
man  could  awaken.  He  seemed  to  attach  men  to  him, 
and  hold  them  by  the  strongest  of  all  ties,  that  of 
personal  affection.  Through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his 
long  political  life  the  plain  people  always  loved  him 
and  trusted  him  and  sympathized  with  him.  Their 
affection  for  him  sometimes  seemed  blind  and  unreason- 
ing, but  it  had  both  its  reason  and  justification,  for 
his  heart  went  out  to  them  in  return  and  he  seemed 
instinctively  to  divine  the  needs  and  express  the  ideals 
of  the  great  mass  of  his  fellow  citizens.  They  deeply 
mourn  his  death  and  will  fondly  cherish  his  memory. 

To  my  mind  James  G.  Elaine  was  the  greatest  figure 
in  this  country,  with  one  or  two  possible  exceptions, 

18 


Jtx 


during  the  last  twenty-five  years;  and  leaving  out  of 
the  account  those  distinguished  generals  of  our  civil 
war  who  have  been  crowned  with  military  laurels,  his 
fame  will  rise  higher  and  rest  upon  a  firmer  foundation 
than  that  of  any  American  of  this  generation  except 
the  immortal  Lincoln.  Posterity  will  rank  him  with 
the  greatest  men  of  the  century,  and  his  name  will  be 
written  in  letters  of  sparkling  light  upon  the  pages  of 
history. 

By   Senator    EOESCH: 

Mr.  PRESIDENT. — The  Kepublic  sustained  a  severe  loss 
in  the  death  of  James  G.  Elaine.  Around  his  grave 
party  ^strife  is  hushed  and  the  malignity  of  political 
slander  is  silenced  in  the  praise  of  the  dead.  His 
true  position  in  the  American  Walhalla  can  not 
yet  be  awarded  him.  His  death  is  too  recent 
and  his  works  have  not  met  with  that  fruition 
which  their  author  presaged  for  them.  We  may 
have  differed  seriously  in  his  lifetime  as  to  the 
policy  of  his  ambitions  and  may  have  conscien- 
tiously criticised  the  methods  adopted  to  assure 
their  accomplishment,  yet  no  one  will  deny  the  magnifi- 
cent Americanism  of  the  man  and  no  one  can  deny 
his  pre-eminent  qualifications  for  the  various  public 
stations  he  filled.  He  came  from  Revolutionary  stock. 
His  grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  and  a  friend  of  George  Washington.  He  could 
thus  trace  a  proud  lineage  of  American  ancestors 
from  whom  he  inherited  his  intense  love  for  America 
and  her  interests.  While  at  college  he  was  a  leader 
in  his  studies  as  well  as  in  its  athletic  sports  and 

i* 


games  (Sillespt*  glattue. 


he  thus  produced  that  grand  physical  presence  which 
in  after  life  was  the  delight  of  multitudes  of  his 
fellow  countrymen.  He  led  too  in  the  debating 
society,  that  peculiar  American  institution  which  can 
lay  claim  to  the  early  cultivation  of  those  powers 
which  saw  their  noblest  development  on  the  rostrum 
and  in  the  halls  of  legislation.  He  was  a  ready  and 
an  apt  scholar;  enjoyed  great  personal  popularity 
among  his  associates  and  was  frequently  made  the  arbi- 
trator in  their  youthful  disputes.  Thus  did  the  boy 
truly  foreshadow  the  man.  As  a  professor  in  a  western 
military  college  he  won  rank  as  an  educator.  It  is 
impossible  now  to  follow  him  in  all  the  details  of 
his  brilliant  career  but  some  of  them  might  be 
briefly  and  rapidly  sketched.  As  an  editor  he  molded 
and  shaped  public  opinion  in  his  locality  and 
was  a  bold  and  fearless  critic.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Republican  party  of  Maine  in  1856 
and  an  active  Member  of  the  Legislature  of  his 
adopted  State.  As  a  Member  of  Congress  and  thrice 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  he  was  the 
foremost  parliamentarian  of  the  age,  a  dangerous 
adversary  in  debate,  a  bitter  and  relentless  supporter 
of  party  measures.  He  was  right.  Our  government 
is  one  of  party  and  the  sturdy  exchange  of  party 
views  and  intelligent  and  honest  discharge  of  public 
duties  will  produce  the  noblest  type  of  American 
public  men.  The  friends  of  constitutional  liberty 
throughout  the  land  do  not  forget  the  signal,  though 
indirect,  service  James  G.  Elaine  rendered  to  the 
great  commoner,  Samuel  J.  Randall,  in  his  efforts  to 
defeat  the  Force  Bill  by  filibustering  when  the 

16 


former  was  Speaker  of  the  House.  He  aided  in  the 
defeat  of  that  measure  because  he  held  that  the 
remedy  for  alleged  southern  troubles  should  come 
from  the  southern  people  themselves  and  thus  again 
demonstrated  his  unbounded  faith  in  the  healthy 
public  sentiment  of  American  communities.  Nor  do 
the  friends  of  constitutional  government  forget  that 
as  United  States  Senator  James  G.  Elaine  voted 
against  that  makeshift  for  political  justice,  the  elec- 
toral commission  bill,  which  like  every  other  political 
compromise  Avas  the  fruitful  parent  of  fraud.  He  was 
always  in  advance  of  his  party  in  political  thought, 
and  for  that  reason  was  the  bright  target  for  the  shafts 
not  of  the  opposition  alone  but  of  his  own  political 
household  as  well.  He  denounced  .the  measure  of  eco- 
nomic reform  upon  which  his  party  staked  its  success  in 
the  last  political  campaign  as  one  which  did  not  open  a 
market  in  the  world  for  our  products,  and  he  did  not 
desist  until  a  provision  was  adopted  whereby  important 
trade  concessions  could  be  demanded  from  other  countries 
in  return  for  the  removal  of  impost  duties  upon  com- 
modities, and  thus  secured  legislative  recognition  of  his 
doctrine  of  reciprocal  trade  relations.  He  was  a  man 
of  most  versatile  mind.  When  he  entered  the  Senate 
he  was  not  expected  to  take  part  in  any  but  politi- 
cal debates,  yet  when  the  question  of  the  Geneva  award 
was  under  consideration  he  delivered  an  argument  so 
strictly  legal  in  its  tone  and  exhaustive  of  the  legal  and 
equitable  rights  involved  under  the  laws  of  our  country 
and  the  law  of  nations,  that  it  wron  commendation  from 
a  great  leader  of  the  American  bar  and  bright  particular 
star  of  the  United  States  Senate,  the  late  Matt  H.  Car- 


games  (Blljespije  glaitx*. 


penter.  The  Pan- American  Congress  was  a  grand  con- 
ception though  it  did  not  work  out  its  important  fullness. 
The  nations  of  the  earth  to-day  more  than  ever  recog- 
nize the  spirit  of  its  calling,  and  the  headlong  rush  into 
the  horrors  of  war  is  now  only  a  treat  of  ancient  history. 
All  mankind  pays  homage  to  the  doctrine  of  peace  and 
arbitration  in  the  family  relations  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  James  G.  Elaine  deserves  a  large  measure  of 
credit  for  the  presence  of  the  angel  of  peace.  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  repeat  that  the  republic  has  sustained  a  great 
loss  in  the  death  of  James  G.  Elaine.  We  may  not  yet 
be  able  to  allot  to  him  his  proper  sphere  in  history 
Party  feeling  may  yet  run  too  high  to  allow  deliberate, 
cool  and  dispassionate  judgment  to  give  him  that  credit 
for  his  works  in  our  national  life  which  he  so  thoroughly 
deserved.  Yet  thousands  not  of  his  political  faith  will 
acknowledge  the  grand  characteristics  of  the  man,  and 
to  the  younger  men  of  our  generation  James  G.  Elaine 
stands  out  in  American  history  as  the  grand  type  of 
American  manhood  after  which  all  American  youth  of 
the  land  may  well  pattern. 

By  Senator  O'CONNOR  : 

Mr.  PRESIDENT. —  I  cannot  let  the  present  opportunity 
pass  without  paying  my  humble  tribute  to  the  great  com- 
moner who  is  the  subject  of  these  resolutions.  In  the  very 
recent  conflict,  I  had  the  honor  to  work  zealously,  hoping 
to  bring  about  his  nomination  as  the  standard  bearer  of 
the  Republican  party,  believing  him  to  be  the  greatest 
man  of  the  present  generation. 

No  man  who  has  been  an  observer  of  current  history 
of  American  politics  for  the  past  thirty  years,  can  fail  to 

17 


be  impressed  with  the  great  services  that  James  G. 
Elaine  has  rendered  his  country  and  his  fellow  citizens. 
In  1862,  he  first  came  into  the  arena  of  national  politics 
by  being  elected  a  Member  of  Congress,  at  a  time  when 
the  nation  was  engaged  in  the  throes  of  civil  conflict  and 
its  life  trembling  in  the  balance.  He  brought  to  the 
solution  of  the  great  questions  that  were  then  pro- 
pounded to  the  American  people  his  brilliant  intellectual 
attainments  and  superior  genius.  In  every  strife  from 
that  time  until  death  fixed  his  eyes  in  eternal  sleep,  he 
was  a  conspicuous,  if  not  the  most  conspicuous  personal- 
ity in  American  politics.  On  every  question  which  con- 
cerned the  honor  of  his  country,  or  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
any  man  who  studies  his  career,  must  render  to  him  the 
tribute  at  all  times  of  having  been  animated  by  the  most 
patriotic  and  unselfish  purposes. 

Mr.  Elaine  was  an  intellectual  giant  among  men.  He 
foresaw  results  with  a  Napoleonic  precision,  and  he  had 
the  intelligence  and  genius  to  grasp  opportunities  and 
instruments  that  were  best  calculated  and  fitted  to  attain 
these  results.  In  these  thirty  years  the  nature  and  scope 
of  our  national  government  has  been  changed,  or  if  not 
changed,  at  least  molded  into  such  permanent  shape 
that  its  character  is  as  fixed  and  everlasting  as  the  hills. 
We  have  seen  the  extreme  doctrine  of  State  rights  dis- 
appear; we  have  seen  demonstrated  as  the  result  of  his 
labor  and  the  labors  of  other  men  animated  by  the  same 
patriotic  motives  that  the  stars  and  stripes  represent  a 
nation  and  not  a  confederacy  of  States ;  that  this 
nation  is  a  chain  of  indestructible  steel,  and  not  a  rope 
of  sand ;  that  in  the  face  of  any  and  all  emergencies  it 
possesses  the  inherent  power  to  preserve  its  life  without 

18 


doing  violence  to  the  rights  of  States  or  to  the  liberties 
of  individuals. 

On  every  question  arising  out  of  that  strife  the  Ameri- 
can people  have  had  the  benefit  of  Mr.  Elaine's  genius 
and  his  patriotism.  But  there  came  a  period  in  his  career 
when  the  praise  of  a  portion  of  the  people  was  turned  to 
censure.  Mr.  Elaine  believed  that  the  citizen  who  best 
loved  his  party  and  was  loyal  to  it  was  loyal  to  and  best 
loved  his  country.  He  despised  Phariseeism  and  cant. 
He  recognized  in  national  politics  no  place  for  the  Mug- 
wumps or  the  so-called  Independents ;  the  men  who  pur- 
sued a  guerilla  warfare  in  public  life,  ever  ready  to  make 
terms  with  the  party  that  offered  them  the  greatest 
inducements,  and  when  they  received  their  price  and 
fixed  their  abode,  seek  to  dominate  and  control  the 
power  and  policy  of  that  party.  These  were  the  men 
whose  praise  was  turned  into  censure  and  whose  vene- 
mous  attack  on  Mr.  Elaine  was  a  disgrace  to  our  people 
and  civilization. 

If  there  is  anything  for  which  James  G.  Elaine 
deserves  the  admiration  of  the  American  people  it  is 
for  his  magnificent  courage  in  pressing  every  problem 
with  an  honest  and  thorough  conviction  and  belief 
that  what  he  advocated  was  for  the  best  interest 
of  the  people. 

'  I  believe  the  true  secret  of  the  attack  on  his  per- 
sonal character  is  due  to  the  fact  that  he  wrote  a 
book  which  in  the  future  generations  will  be  quoted 
as  are  "Caesar's  Commentaries."  His  "Twenty  Years 
in  Congress"  is  but  a  name.  It  is  not  as  much  his 
career  in  Congress  as  it  is  the  history  of  the  country 
during  its  most  important  epoch.  Therein  he  disclosed 

19 


his  intense  Americanism.  Therein  he  showed  by  most 
irrefragable  proof  that  the  uncompromising  and 
relentless  enemy  of  the  progress  of  the  United  States 
is  the  so-called  "Mother  Country,"  because  at  no 
period  in  the  history  of  this  republic,  whenever  it 
was  confronted  by  an  overwhelming  crisis,  have  we 
failed  to  meet  her  unsympathetic  ,  and  -  relentless 
enmity.  He  repudiated  the  idea  that  England  is  the 
mother  of  the  country  and  recognized  that  Europe  is 
the  parent  which,  from  its  loins,  contributed  the  bone, 
the  muscle  and  the  brain  of  its  best  citizens  and  made 
us  what  we  are.  In  exemplifying  and  emphasizing 
this  fact  Mr.  Elaine  incurred  the  enmity  of  a  certain 
Anglomaniac  faction  that  believe  it  is  patriotic  to 
glorify  and  magnify  everything  that  comes  from 
abroad  and  to  discredit  everything  that  is  really 
American.  His  advocacy  of  the  so-called  "American 
System,"  his  love  for  and  belief  in  the  merits  and 
importance  of  the  protective  tariff  brought  upon  him, 
when  nominated  for  the  important  office  of  Chief 
Executive,  the  most  virulent,  malignant  and  abusive 
attacks  that  a  private  citizen  was  ever  subjected  to. 
These  men  invaded  the  tomb  of  the .  dead  and  the 
sanctuary  of  the  living,  in  their  malignant  hate  to 
destroy  the  man  who  more  than  any  other  in  his 
person  represented  the  unadulterated  patriotism  of 
those  who  believed  in  the  permanency  and  supremacy 
of  American  institutions. 

To  an  extent  they  succeeded,  but  I  want  to  say  here 
to-night  that  the  fortunes  of  the  battle  of  1884  were 
decided  by  an  insignificent  five  or  six  hundred  votes 
in  this  great  imperial  State;  yet,  when  you  take  into 

20 


laitue. 


consideration  the  fight  that  was  made ;  the  so-called 
party  organs  that  deserted  the  standard  of  the  party; 
the  people  who  professed  to  be  Republicans  but  who 
separated  themselves  from  the  party  and  made  the 
fight  on  its  candidate,  I  believe  that  the  result  was 
the  most  magnificent  personal  triumph  that  was  ever 
accorded  to  any  American  citizen.  The  attack  that 
was  made  upon  him  was  appalling,  and  yet  his  grand 
personality  stood  out  like  the  white  plume  of  "  Henry 
of  Navarre"  as  a  standard  around  which  every  man 
who  believed  in  the  principles  of  his  party  and  the 
patriotism  of  its  candidate,  felt  he  could  rally  without 
fear  of  being  deserted  in  the  midst  of  strife  or  that 
any  retreat  would  ever  be  sounded. 

Mr.  President,  let  me  call  your  attention  to  this  fact, 
that  the  most  bitter  of  his  attackers  are  already  dead 
and  forgotten,  and  that  in  the  course  of  time  the  rest 
of  those  who  joined  in  the  same  vile  hunt  and  sought 
to  destroy  him,  will  pass  away  and  be  buried  in  the 
same  grave  of  oblivion. 

Elaine  lives.  He  is  not  dead.  His  death  was 
but  a  step  to  eternity,  in  which  he  has  become 
immortal.  When  the  men  of  generations  to  come 
shall  read  the  history  of  this  country,  they  will 
perceive  that  four  names  stand  out  like  the  stars  in 
the  heavens  —  Washington,  Jefferson,  Hamilton  and 
Clay,  as  the  men  whose  intelligence  and  genius  gave 
the  formative  principles  to  this  republic  ;  but  in  the 
hour  when  its  stability  was  to  be  tried,  and  the 
capacity  of  democratic  institutions  for  stable  govern- 
ment tested,  and  they  realize  how  successfully  the 
great  crisis  was  met  and  overcome,  among  the  long 

£1 


Jti 


roll  of  distinguished  names  that  adorn  that  epoch  in 
our  national  history,  the  ones  that  will  fix  their  atten- 
tion in  supreme  admiration  and  love  will  be  Lincoln, 
Grant,  Seward  and  Elaine.  When  the  dirt  flies  that 
pursued  him  with  rancour  and  hate  shall  have  long 
been  forgotten,  the  name  of  Elaine  will  be  written 
upon  every  American  heart  with  patriotic  memories  of 
his  long  and  splendid  services  in  behalf  of  his  country, 
they  will  all  be  better  Americans  and  more  loyal  sup- 
porters of  free  institutions,  because  of  the  example  of 
his  life. 

So  long  as  history  records  the  deeds  of  men  which 
make  them  great  and  their  memory  revered  by  a  free 
people,  there  will  be  none  in  the  bright  galaxy  of 
American  citizens  that  will  stand  out  more  con- 
spicuously or  be  remembered  with  greater  reverence  than 
the  name  of  James  G.  Elaine. 


By  Senator 

Mr.  PRESIDENT.  —  It  is  usual  to  say  when  men  die 
that  a  void  has  been  created.  By  the  death  of  Mr. 
Elaine  a  character  has  been  taken  from  our  political 
life,  a  vacancy  created  that  will  remain  unfilled. 
The  particular  place  he  occupied  may  be  pointed 
out  ;  his  position  may  be  reverted  to,  but  there  can 
be  no  substitution  in  the  sense  that  the  difference 
will  not  be  apparent.  The  story  of  his  life  is  only 
another  verification  of  what  many  believe  —  that  leaders 
are  born  and  not  made.  Certainly,  if  the  inherent 
possession  of  all  those  attributes  that  go  to  fit  a  man 
for  the  work  of  inspiring  men  to  follow  him,  furnishes 
evidence  of  destiny,  then  Mr.  Elaine's  life  proved  the 

22 


laitue. 


affirmative  side  of  that  proposition.  He  lived  in  a 
period  of  our  national  life  when  opportunities  were 
presented  to  our  public  men  that  seldom  come  in  the 
history  of  a  country.  He  left  his  impress  on  his  time. 
He  molded  sentiment,  he  directed  thought  and  he 
consummated  events.  It  has  been  said  that  he  failed 
in  his  ambition.  Reasons  have  been  and  will  be 
assigned  for  his  failure.  It  is  said  of  him  he  was  fond 
of  quoting  the  lines  of  that  distinguished  writer 
Nathaniel  P.  Willis,  in  which  he  asks  and  answers : 
"  What  is  ambition  ?  It  is  a  glorious  cheat.  The 
angehs  of  light  do  not  walk  so  dazzlingly  on  the 
sapphired  walls  of  heaven."  If  Mr.  Blaine's  life  is  to 
be  measured  from  the  standpoint  of  successful  ambition 
it  can  be  said  that  thus  far  American  history  is  con- 
sistent in  its  record  of  shining  marks  of  disappointment. 
It  will  always  be  admitted  that  Mr.  Elaine  did  suc- 
ceed in  making  his  fame  enduring.  It  will  never  be 
denied  that  his  powers  of  oratory  and  his  ability  as 
a  writer  have  earned  for  his  memory  a  permanent 
place  in  American  annals.  The  feeble  tribute  that  I 
pay  to  his  memory  is  induced  by  an  admiration  for 
his  individuality.  I  had  not  even  the  honor  of  his 
personal  acquaintance.  His  intimate  friends  can  best 
speak  of  his  genial  temperament,  his  generous  impulses 
and  his  warmth  of  heart.  Everybody  can  speak  of 
him  as  the  typical  American,  as  the  man  with  the 
towering  intellect,  the  versatility  of  talent,  as  the 
great  civil  captain.  When  he  died  a  great  man  ceased 
to  exist.  His  death,  in  my  opinion,  justifies  the 
assertion  that  "the  living  are  only  the  dead,  the 
dead  live  never  more  to  die." 

23 


Jw 


By  Senator  EDWARDS: 

Mr.  PRESIDENT. —  Some  one  has  compared  our  sorrow 
for  the  illustrious  dead  to  a  glorious  sympathy  with 
suns  that  set : 

"Even  as  the  tenderness  that  hour  instills, 
When  summer's  day  declines  along  the  hills, 
So  feels  the  fullness  of  our  heart  and  eyes 
When  all  of  genius  that  can  perish  dies. 
A  mighty  spirit  is  eclipsed  —  a  power 
Hath  passed  from  day  to  darkness,  to  whose  hour 
Of  light,  no  likeness  is  bequeathed." 

The  death  of  James  G.  Elaine  shadows  a  continent. 
His  fame  will  endure.  His  name  has  already  been 
chiseled  upon  the  adamantine  pillars  of  his  country's 
history.  He  lived  in  a  great,  stirring  epoch,  and  every 
part  of  that  period  felt  the  molding  influence  of  his 
powerful  hand.  In  writing  his  "Twenty  Years  in 
Congress,"  he  might  Avith  ^Eneas,  truly  have  said : 
"  I  chronicle  that  all  of  which  I  saw,  and  part  of  which 
I  was."  His  powers  of  mind  were  amazingly  versatile. 
He  was  distinguished  as  an  orator,  historian,  statesman, 
diplomatist  and  political  leader.  His  character  was  pic- 
turesque and  striking,  yet  always  massive  and  harmonious. 
He  had  a  chieftain's  boldness,  with  a  sage's  wisdom. 

Those  who  looked  upon  only  one  side  of  his  nature 
misunderstood  him.  Thus,  when  he  became  Secretary 
of  State,  there  were  those  who  feared  that  his  brilliant 
and  aspiring  mind,  and  his  aggressive  Americanism, 
might  plunge  the  country  into  foreign  war.  They 
thought  him  hot-headed  and  ambitious.  But  four 
times  during  his  official  career,  he  saved  the  country 
from  perilous  foreign  complications  by  a  happy  blending 

24 


of  calmness,  courage  and  firmness.  Feel  the  iron  grip 
of  the  gloved  hand  in  his  celebrated  reply  to  Italy  : 
"  The  United  States  has  never  yet  permitted  its  policy 
to  be  dictated  by  any  foreign  power  and  it  will  not 
begin  to  do  so  now." 

Nature  often  produces  the  grandest  results  by  the 
operation  of  apparently  opposite  forces.  It  is  sometimes 
thus  with  men.  Those  who  saw  Mr.  Elaine,  as  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Kepresentatives  or  of  the 
Senate,  marshal  his  forces  and  lead  them  on  to  repeated 
victory,  could  think  it  scarce  possible  that  he  should 
becoine  the  historian  of  that  very  period,  and  perform 
his  task  in  such  a  clean,  judicial  spirit  that  all  would 
concede  his  estimates  of  men  and  measures  to  be 
distinguished  by  surpassing  ability  and  perfect  fairness. 

The  most  conspicuous  characteristic  which  appears 
in  the  career  of  Mr.  Elaine  is  his"  Americanism.  In 
behalf  of  all  who  sought  our  shores,  as  well  as  of  the 
native  born,  he  believed  in  conserving  and  advancing 
our  own  interests  by  binding  together  all  the  States 
of  this  western  hemisphere,  from  Hudson  bay  to  Pata- 
gonia, in  friendly,  commercial  and  industrial  co-opera- 
tion. He  longed  to  see  the  ships  of  his  country  plowing 
the  water  of  every  harbor  along  the  whole  perimeter 
of  our  continent,  and  railroads  binding  together  the 
remoter  parallels  of  latitude. 

Destiny  did  not  deny  to  Mr.  Elaine  that  supreme 
experience  which  has  so  often  fallen  to  the  lot  of  the 
great,  and  which  has  aided  in  giving  them  a  pathetic 
and  lasting  remembrance  among  men.  I  mean 'tragic 
affliction.  He  was  a  man  of  sorrows.  Again  and 
again  was  he  smitten  by  disappointment  and  by  death. 

23 


The  blows  followed  so  rapidly  that  he  had  not  staggered 
up  from  one  before  another  fell  upon  him.  He  might 
have  said,  as  did  Edmund  Burke  at  the  climax  of  his 
bereavements :  "  The  storm  has  gone  over  me ;  I  am 
like  one  of  the  old  oaks  which  the  late  hurricane  has 
scattered  around  us."  Yet,  amid  it  all  there  was  no 
unmanly  complaining;  no  unkind,  ungenerous  word 
fell  from  those  eloquent  lips.  James  G.  Elaine  had  a 
long  memory  for  favors  and  a  short  one  for  offenses. 
He  was  true  and  loving  in  his  home.  May  Heaven 
console  his  afflicted  family,  especially  the  companion 
of  his  life,  who  was  so  utterly  devoted  to  him. 

Many  have  sought  to  find  the  key-note  of  his 
character,  especially  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  his 
wonderful  hold  upon  human  hearts.  Some  have  called 
it  personal  magnetism;  others,  unflinching  courage; 
some  patriotism,  and  others  masterful  intellectual 
powers;  but  I  shall  call  it  manhood;  manhood  at  its 
best — true,  gentle,  sympathetic,  tactful,  capable,  heroic, 
chivalrous.  In  him  men  found  noble  ideals  realized; 
unfolded  generously,  attractively,  and  blended  with  the 
persuasive,  compelling  force  of  a  superb  personality 
which  was  born  for  leadership. 

Like  some  others  of  the  nation's  greatest  statesmen, 
it  was  not  his  to  enjoy  the  highest  office  in  the  gift 
of  the  Republic ;  not  his  the  ripe  fruitions  and  happy 
rewards  of  a  peaceful  old  age ;  but  over  his  grave 
to-day  men  of  all  parties  sincerely  mourn,  and  they 
frankly  acknowledge,  that  there  is  left  not  one  public 
man,  in  all  this  broad  land,  who  is  his  equal  in  varied 
ability,  nor  one  who  is  more  firmly  entrenched  in  the 
hearts  of  his  admiring  countrymen. 

26 


James  (gittespte  glattue. 


By  Mr.  SMITH: 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  AND  FELLOW  SENATOKS. — A  great  man,  a 
prince  among  people,  has  ended  his  earthly  career;  a 
man  rich  in  the  many  gifts  with  which  God  endowed 
him,  who  devoted  himself  for  a  generation  to  the  service 
of  his  country  and  the  people,  winning  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  all  his  countrymen,  passes  from  us 
mourned,  honored  and  loved. 

James  G.  Elaine  was  great  in  statesmanship,  leader- 
ship and  in  the  field  of  literature,  known  not  only  in 
every  household  in  our  country,  but  to  the  statesmen  of 
the  civilized  world  ;  he  was  one  of  the  illustrious  charac- 
ters which  have  demonstrated  the  value  of  free  institu- 
tions. Nearly  thirty  of  the  sixty-three  years  of  his  life 
have  been  spent  in  public  service,  and  the  history  of 
this  nation  during  that  time  is  to  no  small  extent  the 
history  of  his  public  life.  During  this  long  and  eventful 
period  he  received  the  attention  and  commanded  the 
respect  of  the  people  of  this  nation  in  a  marked  and 
unparalleled  degree,  unequaled  unless  in  the  cases  of 
Lincoln  and  Clay.  Like  Clay,  his  followers  were  many, 
affectionate  and  enthusiastic,  and  like  him  he  achieved 
great  success,  but  failed  to  reach  the  goal  of  his  ambition, 
the  presidency.  He  was  a  remarkable  man  and  wonder- 
fully endowed.  The  country  has  produced  no  greater 
statesman  or  political  leader,  the  ideal  of  his  party, 
loved  as  no  other  man  in  it.  By  him  was  his  party 
inspired  more  thoroughly  than  by  any  other.  For 
many  years  he  did  more  than  any  other  leader  to 
shape  its  policy.  His  tact  in  drawing  men  to  him 
his  control  over  them  and  ability  to  command  theii 
unselfish  support  was  greater  than  that  of  any  other 

27 


Jn 


party  leader  in  the  history  of  the  country.  His  loss 
will  be  universally  felt  and  mourned,  but  his  life 
will  continue  to  be  an  inspiration  to  his  party. 

One  of  the  chief  characteristics  displayed  by  Mr. 
Elaine  in  diplomacy,  as  well  as  in  every  official  act,  was 
his  exalted  Americanism.  A  thorough  believer  in  the 
Monroe  doctrine  and  the  reciprocity  policy,  which  dis- 
tinguished the  close  of  his  political  career,  will  be  con- 
ceded to  be  the  outgrowth  of  his  convictions  respecting 
that  doctrine.  Of  his  political  productions  his  diplo- 
matic correspondence  will  rank  as  the  best.  Upon  his 
acts  as  Secretary  of  State  will  mainly  rest  his  reputation 
abroad,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  during  the 
past  decade  he  has  been  the  best  known  American  in 
foreign  lands.  In  our  own  country,  the  theater  of  his 
activity,  his  marvelous  popularity,  his  loyalty  to  his 
country,  to  principles  and  friends,  will  be  recognized  by 
all.  He  was  more  truly  a  national  leader  than  any  man 
of  our  generation  in  civil  life.  Great  must  be  the  qual- 
ities of  the  man,  who  through  so  many  strifes,  covering 
so  many  years,  both  in  public  life  and  as  a  private 
citizen,  holds  the  confidence  and  affections  of  the 
majority  of  his  fellow  men.  It  was  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  that  his  readiness  in  debate,  his 
knowledge  of  parliamentary  law,  his  courage  and  skill 
had  full  and  untrammeled  sway.  It  was  there  he  was 
more  truly  compared  with  Clay ;  it  was  there  he  won 
his  spurs  in  his  passage  at  words  with  Conkling,  which 
cost  him  the  Presidency.  The  controversy  between 
these  two  masters  of  elocution,  then  young  in  congres- 
sional life,  gave  both  a  prominence  in  the  nation,  and 
planted  seeds  of  enmity  whose  roots  struck  deep  into 

28 


Giltespie 


the  affairs  of  their  party  throughout  the  whole  land. 
While  many  things  transpired  to  deprive  Mr.  Elaine 
of  the  electoral  vote  of  Ne\r  York  in  1884,  and  hence  of 
the  presidency,  it  is  quite  plain  that  but  for  the  words 
spoken  in  that  heated  debate  all  things  else  would  have 
failed  to  prevent  his  election.  And  while  his  fail- 
ure to  reach  the  presidential  chair  caused  disap- 
pointment and  regret  to  more  people  than  would 
a  like  failure  on  the  part  of  any  other  Ameri- 
can citizen,  yet  he  has  by  reason  of  such  failure 
occupied  positions  where  he  could  and  has  rendered 
services  invaluable  to  his  country ;  where  his  love  for 
his  country,  its  institutions  and  its  flag  has  been 
clearly  demonstrated;  where  he  was  able  to  and  did 
prove  that  the  welfare  of  his  people  and  respect  for 
his  country's  obligations  were  his  highest  concern. 

He  believed  in  protection  because  he  realized  that 
the  first  duty  of  a  patriot  and  statesman  is  to  care  for 
the  home.  His  genius  and  keen  perceptions  enabled 
him  to  see  the  value  of  reciprocity  and  against  the 
inclinations  of  the  executive,  and  in  spite  of  the  oppo- 
sition of  many  party  leaders  he  marshaled  the  forces 
of  public  opinion  and  it  became  law. 

I  hope  no  one  will  suppose  Elaine  reached  his  high 
position  through  luck  or  chance.  Greatness  does  not 
come  to  men  in  some  haphazard  way ;  it  comes  as 
the  result  of  industry,  painstaking  and  toil.  In  youth 
he  acquired  these  habits  and  carried  them  through 
life.  In  this  as  in  many  other  things  he  has  set  an 
example  to  our  people  and  youth  worthy  of  imita- 
tion. From  the  high  position  he  attained  and  the 
means  he  employed  to  attain  it  let  the  young  men 

29 


of  our  nation  learn  that  the  road  to  success  does  not 
lie  along  the  path  of  negligence  and  idleness,  a  path* 
over  which  (it  is  to  be  regretted)  so  many  of  our 
youths  are  accustomed  to  travel,  but  it  is  to  be  found 
along  the  beaten  path  of  honest  toil  and  patient 
endurance. 

If  Elaine  was  a  partisan  he  was  a  patriot  as  well. 
He  did  not  love  his  party  less  but  he  loved  his 
country  more.  Like  him,  if  we  use  all  our  gifts  to 
bring  honor  and  success  to  our  party;  let  it  be 
because  thus  we  desire  and  expect  to  benefit  our 
country.  Patisans  we  may  be,  patriots  we  should  be. 
The  greatest  of  America's  statesmen  and  patriots, 
James  G.  Elaine,  has  fallen,  but  his  works  do  follow 
him. 

By  Senator  MCCLELLAND  : 

Mr.  PRESIDENT. —  It  was  not  my  purpose  to  have 
said  anything  to  these  resolutions  to-night,  but  I  think 
that  I  may  call  attention  to  the  bitterness  of  the  cam- 
paign of  1884  in  which  Mr.  Elaine  was  a  candidate 
for  the  highest  office  within  the  gift  of  the  American 
people.  If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  the  people 
should  halt  for  a  moment  and  reflect  upon  prevailing 
political  methods  it  is  now,  when  such  resolutions  are 
under  consideration.  It  may  be  truly  said,  I  think, 
that  the  army  of  admirers  of  James  G.  .Blame  far 
exceeded  the  army  of  his  followers.  A  host  of  Ameri- 
can citizens  who  admired  the  character  and  works  of 
James  G.  Blaine  were  not  his  followers  because  he  was 
the  leader  and  expounder  of  principles  to  which  they 
could  not  subscribe;  but  what  I  meant  to  call  attention 

30 


to  when  I  arose  was  the  bitterness  and  the  calumny 
of  the  campaign  of  1884.  I  believe  it  may  be  truly 
said  it  never  was  excelled  in  the  history  of  the  American 
Republic.  I  have  always  opposed  such  methods  in 
political  warfare.  Personal  abuse,  personal  calumny, 
should  have  no  place  in  a  political  campaign,  and  now 
I  say  that  at  this  time  the  American  people,  and 
especially  those  who  had  any  part  in  creating  or  dis- 
seminating this  personal  abuse,  should  reflect,  and  the 
American  people  should  by  every  means  possible  put 
their  stamp  of  condemnation  upon  such  practices.  It 
is  after  the  lives  of  great  men  like  James  G.  Elaine 
have  closed  and  the  chapter  of  their  lives  is  complete, 
that  we  see  what  has  been  good  in  them ;  but  should 
we  not,  Mr.  President,  if  we  have  had  any  part  or 
parcel  in  these  intemperate  tirades  of  abuse  in  utter 
disregard  of  the  personal  worth  of  these  men,  and  the 
sacrifices  made  by  them  in  their  service  to  their 
country,  if,  I  say,  we  have  had  any  part  or  parcel  in 
heaping  that  abuse,  then  it  is  to  our  personal  dishonor, 
and  we  should  blush  for  very  shame.  I  trust  that 
while  all  over  the  country  similar  resolutions  are  being 
passed  in  memory  of  this  distinguished  statesman,  that 
the  American  people  will  think  what  a  serious  offense 
they  have  been  guilty  of  to  him  at  least. 

The  PRESIDENT  put  the  question  whether  the  Senate 
would  agree  to  the  above  resolutions  and  they  were 
unanimously  adopted  by  a  rising  vote. 

Then  on  motion  of  Mr.  EDWARDS,  the  Senate 
adjourned  out  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  James  G. 
Elaine. 

81 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY. 


IN  ASSEMBLY,  January  31,  1893. 

The  Senate  sent  for  concurrence  a  resolution  in  the 
words  following  : 

Resolved  (if  the  Assembly  concur),  That  a  joint 
committee,  consisting  of  three  Senators  and  five 
Members  of  Assembly,  be  appointed  by  the  respec- 
tive presiding  officers  of  the  two  Houses  for  the 
purpose  of  presenting  resolutions  in  memory  of  the 
deceased  statesman  James  G.  Elaine. 

Mr.  QUIGLEY  moved  the  adoption  of  the  concurrent 
resolution. 

Mr.  MALBV  seconded  the  motion  of  Mr.  Quigley,  and 
the  resolutions  were  adopted  by  a  rising  vote. 


February  1,  1893. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  announced  the  appointment  of  the 
following  committee  on  the  part  of  the  House  to 
prepare  a  memorial  upon  the  late  James  G.  Elaine: 
Messrs.  Southworth,  Hennessy,  Morris,  Terry  and 
Diven. 

A  message  from  the  Senate  was  received  stating 
that  the  President  of  the  Senate  had  appointed  as 
a  like  committee  on  the  part  of  the  Senate,  Messrs. 
E-oesch,  Bloodgood,  and  Saxton. 

32 


laitue. 


February  13,  1893. 

Mr.  SOUTH  WORTH  from  the  committee  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  memorial  on  the  death  of  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine, 
presented  the  following : 

WHEREAS,  By  the  death  of  James  Gillespie  Elaine, 
this  country  has  lost  one  of  her  most  illustrious  sons,  a 
brilliant  historian,  an  elegant  orator,  a  matchless  debater, 
an  accomplished  publicist,  a  great  and  renowned  states- 
man, one  whose  genious  has  left  an  indelible  impress  for 
good  upon  our  political  life  and  national  policies ;  one 
whose  fame,  leaping  beyond  the  borders  of  his  own  land, 
has  spread  through  all  civilized  nations  ;  one  who  loved 
his  country  with  the  fervent  love  of  the  true  patriot,  and 
who- had  a  warmer  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  American 
people  than  any  other  man  of  his  time. 

Resolved,  That  this  Assembly  give  public  expression 
to  the  profound  sense  of  loss  felt  at  this  time  by  all 
classes  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  Empire  State ;  their 
gratitude  for  his  priceless  services ;  their  sorrow  for  his 
death  and  respect  for  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  with  the  preamble  be 
spread  on  the  journal  of  the  Assembly,  and  an  engrossed 
copy  of  the  same  forwarded  to  his  bereaved  family,  with 
the  assurance  of  the  deep  sympathy  felt  for  them  by  the 
individual  members  of  this  body. 

Mr.  SOUTH  WORTH,  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the  forego- 
ing resolutions,  spoke  as  follows. 

By  Mr.  SOUTHWORTH  : 

Mr.  SPEAKER. —  In  presenting  for  the  consideration  of 
the  Legislature  these  resolutions  from  the  committee,  I 
desire  briefly  to  add  my  testimony  in  appreciation  of 
the  loss  which  the  country  has  sustained  in  the  death  of 

33 


the  distinguished  gentleman  whose  memory  the  resolu- 
tions seek  to  preserve. 

In  the  death  of  James  G.  Elaine,  we  lose  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  statesmen  and  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able men  of  modern  times;  conspicuous  as  a  public 
leader,  and  remarkable  for  his  learning  and  statesmanship. 

Probably  no  public  man  of  modern  times  provoked 
more  vigorous  opposition  from  the  political  party  with 
which  I  have  been  associated,  and  certainly  no  one 
has  been  so  earnestly  and  steadfastly  supported  by  his 
own  party. 

To  remember  Mr.  Blaine  merely  as  a  partisan,  is  to 
regard  his  memory  in  a  narrow  sense. 

It  is  due  to  his  public  career  that  he  should  be  remem- 
bered as  having  always  kept  in  view  the  best  interests 
of  our  common  country,  only  employing  party  measures 
for  the  advancement  of  such  interests. 

To  the  Republican  party  belongs  the  honor  of  his 
leadership,  but  I,  as  a  Democrat,  admired  his  rock-ribbed 
republicanism  and  undaunted  courage. 

I  iove  to  think  of  a  public  man.  who  possessed  the 
courage  of  his  convictions,  whose  devotion  to  his  party 
principles  was  so  great  as  to  prevent  any  wavering  in 
his  support,  so  firm  as  to  preclude  all  idea  of  any 
abandonment  of  his  party,  even  under  the  hottest  fire 
of  criticism  of  Democrats,  or  the  mean  detractions  of 
those,  who,  disclaiming  allegiance  to  any,  seek  to  usurp 
the  control  of  all  parties. 

The  name  of  James  G.  Blaine  will  outlive  all  political 
parties.  It  has  already  become  an  important  part  of 
our  country's  history,  and  future  generations  will  ever 
regard  him  as  one  who  labored  assiduously  for  the  good 

34 


games 


of  his  country,  holding  his  name  in  every  American 
household  as  a  synonym  for  patriotic  citizen,  good 
husband,  kind  and  loving  parent  and  honest  man. 

By  Mr.  QUIGLEY: 

Mr.  SPEAKER. —  We  are  here  to-night  to  do  honor 
to  the  memory  of  a  great  man,  a  great  American, 
a  great  historian  and  a  great  statesman.  I  will  not 
take  up  the  time  of  the  House  with  any  extended 
remarks  on  the  resolutions.  There  are  others  who 
will  follow  me  who  are  better  able  to  do  justice  to 
the  subject ;  but  I  wish  to  say  that  the  heart  of  the 
nation  mourns  the  loss  of  a  great  man  whose  life 
was  an  example  of  the  possibilities  that  lie  in  the 
path  of  American  citizenship.  Loved  and  honored  by 
his  neighbors,  great  in  his  party,  respected  by  his 
political  opponents,  powerful  and  influential  in  the 
halls  of  the  Congress  of  the  nation,  he  has  left  an 
indelible  page  in  the  history  of  our  country.  A  history 
that  he  was  part  of,  a  history  that  he  contributed  to. 

James  G.  Elaine  was  a  great  historian  and  his 
"Twenty  Years  in  Congress"  is  a  complete  and  impar- 
tial history  of  the  times.  For  this  impartial  and  fair 
history,  treating  North  and  South  with  equal  fairness, 
he  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  historians  of 
the  generation. 

While  the  Republican  party  may  mourn  its  loss,  the 
citizens  of  this  nation,  of  whatever  party,  join  in 
paying  honor  to  his  memory,  because  he  deserves 
honor.  Mr.  Elaine's  life  was  an  example  for  our  young 
men  who  are  ambitious  to  shine  in  our  politics.  His 
death  was  a  nation's  loss. 

38 


By  Mr.   MALBY: 

Mr.  SPEAKER.  —  James  Gillespie  Elaine,  America's 
greatest  statesman  and  the  idol  of  the  people,  is 
dead. 

"  He  did  not  fall  like  drooping  flowers,  which  no  man  noticeth, 
But,  like  a  great  branch  of  some  stately  tree 
Rent  in  tempest  and  flung  down  to  death, 
Thick  with  green  leafage,  so  that  piteously 
Each  passer-by  that  ruin  shuddereth 
And  saith:  The  gap  this  breach  hath  left  is  wide, 
The  loss  thereof  can  never  be  supplied." 

In  the  midst  of  darkness  there  is  light,  and  as  we 
mourn  the  loss  of  our  distinguished  leader,  the  hard 
lines  are  softened  by  words  of  praise  and  commenda- 
tion of  his  life  and  doings  by  those  who  have  opposed 
his  principles  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century. 
It  is  a  peculiar  and  striking  characteristic  of  the  Ameri- 
can people,  that  they  may  differ  never  so  widely  as  to 
policies,  but  when  one  of  those  who  advocate  them 
bhall  pass  away,  his  opponents  have  the  manliness 
to  acknowledge  his  greatness  and  ability,  according 
to  the  work  which  he  has  performed. 

"  Death  holds  a  flag  of  truce  over  its  own.  Under 
that  flag  friend  and  foe  sit  peacefully  together,  passions 
are  stilled,  benevolence  is  restored,  wrongs  are  repaired, 
justice  is  done." 

History  informs  us  that  the  deceased  statesman  was 
born  about  sixty- two  years  ago  in  a  little  country 
town  in  the  old  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Born  of  good 
old  revolutionary  stock,  and  gifted  with  a  strong  con- 
stitution, a  noble  character  and  a  superior  mind.  He 
was  a  self-made  man. 

86 


games  CiiUespt*  glaitue. 


In  his  youth,  the  usual  necessaries  of  a  country  life 
were  furnished  him,  but  he  had  no  luxuries.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  he  entered  college,  and  at  seventeen 
graduated  with  high  honors.  The  years  that  followed 
which  he  spent  as  teacher,  law  student  and  editor,  are 
full  of  interest.  As  teacher,  it  was  said  of  him  that 
"His  brilliant  mental  powers  were  exactly  qualified  to 
enlighten  and  instruct  the  interesting"  minds  before 
him."  In  the  study  of  law,  he  became  familiar  with 
statutes,  legislative  proceedings  and  international  and 
diplomatic  relations,  and  it  was  then  he  laid  the 
foundation  in  legal  principles  which  made  him  an 
eminent  and  world-wide  authority  along  these  lines  of 
jurisprudence.  As  editor  of  the  Kennebec  Journal,  he 
became  a  power  in  State  politics.  His  editorials  were 
able  and  vigorous,  and  made  him  at  once  the  leader  of 
his  party  in  the  Pine  Tree  State. 

The  first  elective  honor  conferred  upon  him,  was  his 
election  as  a  delegate  to  the  First  Republican  National 
Convention,  and  which  nominated  John  C.  Fremont 
for  President.  To  those  on  this  side  of  the  house,  we 
are  proud  to  say,  that  he  assisted  in  rocking  the  cradle 
of  republicanism. 

Shortly  thereafter  we  find  him  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature  of  his  adopted  State,  where  he  con- 
tinued three  years,  the  last  two  as  its  honored  Speaker. 
It  is  probable  that  while  occupying  this  position, 
he  became  familiar  with  parliamentary  law  and 
with  the  manner  of  dealing  with  men,  and  familiarized 
himself  with  great  public  subjects,  which  after- 
wards enabled  him  to  become  the  leader  in  national 
affairs. 

37 


The  people  who  knew  him  best  appreciated  his  abili- 
ties, and  in  1862,  elected  him  to  Congress,  where  he 
served  in  one  branch  or  the  other  for  eighteen  years. 
He  was  there  during  the  trying  ^ordeals  of  war,  and  with 
voice  and  word  he  said,  "  The  nation  must  be  preserved, 
and  whatever  is  necessary  to  be  done  to  put  down  this 
war,  whatever  resources  are  required  by  those  in  charge 
of  the  government,  we  must  freely  give  unto  them." 
And  to  his  masterly  aid,  we,  to-day,  owe  much  for  a 
reunited  country,  and  that  the  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  still  survive. 

After  the  war  was  over,  and  the  union  had  been  pre- 
served, he  assisted,  I  think,  more  than  any  other  man  in 
bringing  the  seceded  States  back  into  the  union  as  they 
ought  to  come.  Their  desire  was  to  return  of  their  own 
motion,  and  according  to  such  terms  and  provisions  as 
they  themselves  might  prescribe,  but  Mr.  Elaine  said  "No. 
You  must  adopt  the  fourteenth  amendment ;  you  must 
guarantee  to  every  citizen  the  right  of  suffrage;  you 
must  petition  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  for 
admission,  and  if  they  say,  well  done,  then  you  return, 
but  until  that  time  you  are  not  one  of  us." 

The  fourteenth  amendment  embodied  Mr.  Elaine's 
proposition,  which  was  submitted  by  himself,  and  largely 
through  his  exertions  was  finally  adopted. 

In  1869,  so  distinguished  had  become  his  services,  so 
grand  and  fearless  his  leadership,  that  his  party  unani- 
mously nominated  him  as  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, and  for  three  successive  terms  he  received 
the  unanimous  nomination  of  his  party,  an  honor,  which, 
in  the  history  of  our  country  for  more  than  a  century, 
has  never  been  accorded  to  any  other  man.  Probably 

38 


James  (SiUcspic  |U<titue. 


this  country  has  never  produced  so  able  a  presiding 
officer  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  brilliancy 
of  this  period  of  his  career  has  been  attributed  to  his 
'•  real  aptitude  and  equipment  for  the  duties  of  a  presid- 
ing officer;  and  his  complete  mastery  of  parliamentary 
law,  his  dexterity  and  physical  endurance,  his  rapid  dis- 
patch of  business,  and  his  firm  and  impartial  spirit." 

His  abilities  as  presiding  officer  will  ever  be  recognized 
by  all  those  who  come  hereafter,  and  I  think  it  was  then 
he  performed  the  most  distinguished  services  of  his  early 
life.  He  wielded  a  mighty  power ;  he  was  the  absolute 
master  of  national  politics  at  that  time.  The  legislation 
which  was  placed  upon  our  statute  books  was  largely 
due  to  his  masterly  genius,  his  great  and  originative 
mind. 

"  Wherever  the  bright  sun  of  Heaven  shall  shine, 
His  honor  and  the  greatness  of  his  name  shall  be." 

In  the  year  1874,  the  party  of  Blaine  found  themselves 
in  a  minority  of  the  Lower  House  of  Congress,  and  Mr. 
Blaine  returned  to  the  floor,  where  as  leader  of  the 
minority  he  engaged  in  all  the  tilts  of  that  tempestuous 
session  ;  and  in  no  other  position  did  he  acquit  himself 
better.  He  always  possessed  the  courage  of  his  convic- 
tions, and  the  absolute  confidence  of  his  associates. 

"  In  halls  of  State  he  stood  for  many  years, 
Like  fabled  knight,  his  visage  all  aglow, 
Receiving,  giving  sternly,  blow  for  blow. 
Champion  of  right." 

In  1876  Mr.  Blaine  took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  the  greatest  legislative  body,  I  think, 
in  the  world.  I  do  not  believe  that  Mr.  Blaine  was 
at  home  there.  The  more  turbulent  body,  the  Lower 

39 


House,  was  the  place  for  which  he  was  better  fitted, 
naturally,  than  a  conservative  body  like  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States ;  but  even  there  he  was  prominent 
in  debate,  and  the  statute  books  of  that  time  bear 
evidence  of  his  great  ability,  his  research  and  his 
industry. 

In  1876  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  to  the 
presidency  of  the  United  States.  Long  and  serious 
was  the  contest  in  the  Republican  National  Convention, 
which  finally  resulted  in  the  nomination  of  another, 
but  Mr.  Elaine,  firm  to  the  principles  of  his  party, 
and  strong  in  his  Americanism,  supported  the  nominee 
with  all  his  influence  and  with  all  the  mighty  power  he 
possessed. 

History  soon  repeated  itself,  for  in  1880  Mr.  Elaine 
was  again  a  candidate  and  again  another  was  nomi- 
nated, and  again  he  led  his  party  to  victory.  In  1884, 
his  aspirations  to  become  the  candidate  of  his  party 
were  fulfilled.  He  was  nominated  at  a  time,  however, 
when  our  party  was  rent  asunder.  Internal  dissensions 
had  made  it  almost  impossible  to  nominate  anybody 
with  any  assurances  of  an  election.  The  only  name 
which  suggested  itself  to  the  American  people  at  that 
time  as  at  all  fit  for  the  coming  contest  was  the  great 
statesman  from  Maine.  He  was  nominated,  and  imme- 
diately the  opposition  newspapers  ran  full  of  vituper- 
ation which  increased  in  volume  as  the  campaign 
continued. 

"  No  might  or  greatness  in  mortality 
Can  censure  'scape;  back  wounding  calumny 
The  whitest  virtue  strikes.    What  king  so  strong 
Can  tie  the  gall  up  in  the  slanderous  tongue  ?  " 
4O 


Mr.  Elaine  had  an  abiding  faith  in  the  honesty  of 
the  American  people,  and  they  trusted  him.  He  stood 
up  under  the  terrible  ordeal,  and  success  seemed  assured, 
until  an  erratic  person  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
representing  no  one  but  himself,  uttered  three  words, 
which  were  immediately  sent  broadcast  throughout  our 
country,  to  every  State,  every  city,  every  town  and 
every  home.  It  had  its  effect,  and  Elaine  was  cheated 
out  of  the  presidency.  Our  greatest  statesman  of 
modern  times,  and  the  idol  of  the  people  retired  to 
private  life.  He  gave  to  the  world,  perhaps,  more  by 
his  defeat  than  he  would  had  his  efforts  been  crowned 
with  success,  for  in  his  retirement  he  wrote  that 
admirable  work,  his  "  Twenty  Years  in  Congress." 

His  style  was  strong,  vigorous  and  incisive,  and  it 
stands  as  an  enduring  monument  to  his  intellectual 
faculties,  his  impartiality  and  his  broad  statesmanship. 

In  1888  he  was  still  the  leader  of  his  party,  and  loved 
by  the  people,  and  would  again  have  been  nominated, 
but  he  absolutely  refused.  A  letter  came  from  Florence 
and  from  Paris  and  a  telegram  from  Edinburgh,  stopping 
the  American  people  from  doing  that  which  they  seemed 
bound  to  do.  It  was  only  after  he  had  dropped  into  the 
convention  a  telegram  absolutely  refusing  to  accept  the 
nomination  that  our  party's  representatives  in  convention 
assembled,  concluded  to  respect  his  wishes.  Though  not 
a  candidate,  he  framed  the  issues  of  that  campaign,  which 
led  his  party  triumphantly  to  success. 

I  would  speak  for  a  moment  of  those  distinguished 
services  he  rendered  as  Secretary  of  State  when  he  first 
entered  the  cabinet  of  President  Garfield.  It  was  charged 
that  he  was  a  reckless  statesman,  and  that  he  would  cause 

41 


trouble  and  war  to  come  upon  our  country ;  that  his 
ambition  would  not  be  satisfied  with  the  usual  and  ordin- 
ary discharge  of  public  duties  ;  but  time  has  demonstrated 
the  injustice  of  this  charge.  He  made  a  grand  Secretary 
of  State,  and  when  the  assassin's  bullet  shot  down  the 
leader  of  our  republic,  he,  faithful  in  all  things,  remained 
true  to  his  chief  and  his  country,  practically  conducted 
the  government,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  President 
until  death  relieved  our  suffering  President. 

As  Secretary  of  State  in  President  Harrison's  Cabinet, 
his  services  have  been  still  more  distinguished.  I  think 
that  it  has  never  been  allotted  to  a  man  in  his  position  to 
do  more. 

The  controversy  with  Chili  was  on  our  hands;  the 
Samoan  controversy  with  Germany  troubled  him ;  the 
British  government  claimed  to  have  certain  rights  in  the 
Northern  Pacific,  and  the  Italian  difficulties  at  New 
Orleans  also  claimed  his  attention,  but  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  Secretary  of  State,  he  was  fully  equal  to 
all  emergencies,  and  all  but  one  have  been  settled  to  the 
satisfaction  and  honor  of  the  United  States,  and  the  other 
is  in  a  fair  way  of  a  like  solution. 

Nor  did  he  encourage  war,  but  instead  formulated  a 
policy  which  will  prevent  war,  at  least  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere  against  the  United  States  for  all  time  to 
come.  He  called  together  the  representatives  of  all 
nations  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  in  the  Pan-American 
Congress,  and  they  consulted  together,  and  his  scheme  of 
reciprocity  was  at  that  time  suggested  and  since  largely 
adopted,  and  by  which  every  mechanic,  every  laborer 
and  every  farmer  in  the  whole  country  has  received  and 
will  continue  to  receive  benefits. 

42 


James 


But,  Mr.  Speaker,  to  enumerate  all  the  great  events  in 
our  national  history,  in  which  he  acted  a  leading  part, 
would  require  more  time  than  propriety  would  here 
allow.  Let  it  suffice  to  state  that  as  he  drew  near  the 
end  of  a  life  so  actively  engaged  in  the  greatest  deeds  and 
greatest  problems  which  have  interested  the  statesmen  of 
any  time,  this  great  son  of  our  republic,  diseased  in  body 
and  weary  in  mind,  laid  down  his  high  office  and  retired 
to  his  home,  among  his  neighbors  and  friends.  He  retired 
to  the  ever  sounding  sea  in  search  of  health,  in  search  of 
rest,  but  it  was  not  to  be  found.  Long  suffering,  he 
returned  to  the  scenes  of  his  active  life,  hoping  there  per- 
haps, to  escape  the  consequences  of  the  dreaded  disease 
which  was  sapping  his  life  and  vitality  away.  Week 
after  week,  his  sufferings  continued,  and  a  great  nation 
inquired  from  day  to  day  and  from  hour  to  hour,  "  How 
he  was,"  but  as  the  days  of  men  are  numbered,  so  it  was 
with  him.  The  time  came  when  in  humble  submission  to 
the  divine  decree,  he  took  a  loving  leave  of  his  faithful 
wife,  devoted  children  and  admiring  friends,  bravely  and 
fearlessly,  full  of  hope,  sustained  by  faith  he  passed  from 
this  life  to  death  and  from  death  to  the  dawn  of  an 
eternal  morning.  Of  him  it  may  with  truth  be  said  — 

"Oh  death,  where  is  thy  sting! 
Oh  grave,  where  is  thy  victory!" 

"  From  eternity's  far  shore 
Thy  spirit  will  return  to  join  no  more. 
Rest  citizen,  statesman,  rest; 
Thy  troubled  life  is  o'er." 

By  Mr.  MARTIN  : 

If  I  might  be  permitted,  I  desire  to  say  a  few  words 
upon  the  resolutions  just  presented.  The  death  of  James 

43 


G.  Blaine  has  removed  from  our  public  life  one  of  its 
most  conspicuous  members.  In  the  length  of  his  public 
service,  in  the  versatility  of  his  talents,  in  the  brilliancy 
of  the  results  which  he  accomplished,  he  has  equaled  the 
most  distinguished  statesmen  who  have  achieved  promi- 
nence in  the  history  of  our  land. 

Few  men  of  mark  have  been  idolized  by  the  American 
people  as  James  G.  Blaine  has  been.  He  had  a  warm 
and  impetuous  nature,  a  vigorous  and  well-trained  mind, 
and  a  magnetism  of  individuality  which  irresistibly 
attracted,  and  ultimately  wore  itself  out  in  the  surging 
and  rapid  tide  of  public  life. 

He  is,  Mr.  Speaker,  a  public  example  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  American  citizenship.  With  no  unusual 
advantages  in  his  youth,  he  grasped  every  opportunity 
that  was  presented ;  and  went  from  one  avocation 
to  another,  with  such  persistent  determination,  that 
honor  and  glory  were  the  final  rewards  of  his 
efforts. 

In  his  early  manhood,  he  was  elected  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives ;  and  he  gained  for 
himself  the  reputation  of  having  been  one  of  the  best 
presiding  officers  that  body  has  ever  had.  As  United 
States  Senator  he  added  to  the  reputation  thus 
acquired ;  and  as  Secretary  of  State  he  maintained 
the  dignity  and  supremacy  of  this  nation  in  all 
matters  of  international  moment  affecting  the  interests 
of  the  western  world. 

His  capacity  was  discovered  in  his  ripening  years. 
Impulse  waited  on  reflection  and  experience  leavened 
a  nature  that  had  been  but  too  sensitive  and  sympa- 
thetic. Responsibility,  disappointment  and  sorrow  did 

44 


James  (gillespie  glaitx*. 


not  lessen  his  ambition  nor  weaken  his  energies ; 
they  had  but  mellowed,  his  heart  and  ripened  his 
mind. 

In  the  seventies  he  was  merely  a  shrewd  politician ; 
in  the  nineties  he  was  a  broad  statesman.  Cultured 
beyond  the  plane  of  modern  public  men,  yet  was  he 
more  in  touch  with  the  thought  and  aspirations  of 
his  fellow  citizens  than  men  more  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  them  in  their  daily  walks  of  life.  He 
had  the  prescient  vision  of  a  prophet,  and  saw  that 
these  United  States  were  no  longer  the  frontier  of 
Eurqpean  civilization.  The  Monroe  doctrine  was  an 
imperative  necessity,  dictated  by  wise  and  prudent 
statesmanship.  We  were  few  and  feeble,  and  desired 
to  be  permitted  to  grow  in  strength  and  numbers. 
Our  limitations  precluded  an  interference  with  other 
nations.  To-day  we  have  outgrown  the  environment 
of  old  policies  and  inland  prejudices. 

In  population,  commerce,  wealth  and  magnitude  we 
equal  the  proudest  nations  of  the  earth.  And  the 
health,  prosperity  and  peace  of  other  nations  are  of 
the  utmost  import  to  our  own.  Elaine  recognized 
these  conditions  and  made  them  the  basis  of  his 
international  policy.  He  believed  in  a  protective 
tariff  but  not  in  an  exclusive  one.  He  foresaw  that 
a  wider  market  was  imperatively  needed,  and  his 
formulation  of  the  policy  of  reciprocity  was  the  result. 
As  Secretary  of  State  his  enemies  believed  he  would 
inaugurate  a  policy  of  brag  and  bluster.  But  they 
were  deceived.  His  diplomatic  negotiation  of  difficult 
cases  was  pacific  and  dignified.  It  is  generally  con- 
ceded that  the  Chilian  affair  would  have  terminated 

•45 


Ju 


more  successfully  had  the  Harrison  administration 
refrained  from  interfering. 

The  Behring  Sea  matter  was  wisely  transferred  to 
a  board  of  arbitration,  and  the  New  Orleans  assas- 
sinations were  settled  in  a  delicate  and  honorable 
manner.  Elaine  was  intensely  American,  for  he 
dearly  loved  the  welfare  and  glory  of  his  native 
land. 

And  yet,  Mr.  Speaker,  whether  he  shall  be  remem- 
bered as  a  writer  or  an  orator,  a  politician  or  a 
statesman,  his  personality  has  been  so  closely  and  so 
intimately  woven  into  the  very  fabric  of  our  land, 
that  the  history  of  this  country  will  be  incomplete 
and  insufficient  if  the  name  of  Elaine  be  omitted 
from  its  pages. 

Like  Clay  and  Webster,  he  unsuccessfully  aspired 
to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States ;  and  like 
unto  them,  also,  he  will  go  down  to  meet  the  coming 
ages  as  the  most  distinguished  statesman  of  his  time, 
and  as  the  glorious  epitome  of  the  age  in  which  he 
lived. 

I  second  the  motion,  that  the  resolutions  be  adopted. 

By  Mr.  AINSWORTH  : 

Mr.  SPEAKER. —  It  rarely  falls  to  the  lot  of  any  man 
to  do  as  much  for  the  cause  of  human  progress,  as  it 
has  to  the  man  in  honor  of  whose  memory  these 
proceedings  are  being  held. 

James  G.  Elaine  has  impressed  his  personality  upon 
the  time  in  which  he  lived  to  a  greater  extent  than 
any  other  American  citizen,  in  times  of  peace,  during 
the  history  of  our  country. 

46 


James  (iitlespie 


A.S  a  teacher,  as  an  editor,  as  a  politician,  in  the 
broadest  sense  of  that  term,  for  twenty  years  the 
chairman  of  the  State  committee  of  the  party  to 
which  he  belonged  in  his  native  State,  for  fourteen 
years  a  Member  of  Congress,  for  six  years  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  that  body,  twice  a  United  States 
Senator,  four  times  a  candidate  in  National  Conven- 
tion for  the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  this  nation, 
once  a  candidate  before  the  people  for  that  great 
office,  twice  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States, 
and  as  the  author  of  the  greatest  work  upon  political 
economy  that  the  age  has  produced,  he  was  in  all 
these  capacities  a  conspicuous  success,  and  in  many 
of  them  complete  master  of  the  situation. 

The  versatility  of  his  mind,  as  evidenced  by  the 
wide  range  of  subjects  mastered,  is  phenomenal. 

As  I  have  reviewed  his  career,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  have 
tried  to  discover  in  what  it  was  that  he  excelled,  and 
what  was  the  faculty  that  won  for  him  the  love  and 
admiration  of  the  American  people;  and  when  I  view 
his  character  through  all  these  many  years  of  public 
life  and  see  the  magnificent  success  that  has  crowned 
all  his  efforts,  I  think  it  was  his  distinctive  Ameri- 
canism emphasized  in  every  public  act,  that  won  for 
him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  in  a  degree 
possessed  by  no  other  American. 

We  all  believe  now  that  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
should  protect  every  citizen  of  our  native  land,  native 
or  foreign  born,  at  home  or  abroad  ;  and  yet  it  was 
the  voice  of  Elaine  that  first  directed  attention  to 
that  principle,  when  on  the  floor  of  the  United  States 
Congress  he  said  to  England  in  language  afterwards 

47 


Jti 


adopted  by  Congress,  "You  must  reverse  your  policy 
of  centuries  of  growth,  crystallized  m  the  national 
enunciation  —  '  once  a  citizen  always  a  citizen  '  —  and 
you  must  put  in  its  place  that  broader  American 
principle,  that  the  native  and  the  naturalized  citizen 
of  the  United  States  shall  be  protected  by  her  flag 
wherever  it  floats." 

When  Costello  and  Warren  and  Burke,  naturalized 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  were  incarcerated  in 
British  prisons,  it  was  the  Americanism  of  James  G. 
Blaine  that  forced  this  nation  to  proclaim  to  England 
"  our  flag  protects  these  men,  naturalized  citizens,  as 
it  would  had  they  been  on  our  shores." 

When  the  commercial  interests  of  our  people  were 
demanding  wider  markets  for  American  products, 
it  was  the  Americanism  of  James  G.  Blaine 
that  conceived  the  policy  of  uniting  all  of 
the  American  Republics  in  a  commercial  union, 
whose  interests  should  center  around  the  United 
States,  and  which  will  ultimately  make  this  country 
the  clearing  house  for  the  Western  Hemisphere;  and 
to-day  every  avenue  of  business  feels  the  quickening 
inspiration  that  came  from  that  thought  of  James 
G.  Blaine. 

We  all  remember  in  1887  when  that  message  of 
President  Cleveland's  invoking  a  new  departure  in 
the  economic  administration  of  this  government  was 
sent  out,  how  politicians  of  our  country,  the  editors 
of  our  great  newspapers,  uniformly  so  keen  in 
detecting  and  utilizing  every  great  opportunity, 
practically  passed  it  by,  until  there  flashed  from 
old  Rome  where  James  G.  Blaine  was  enjoying 

48 


his  well  earned  vacation  in  cessation  from  public 
duties  an  answer  to  the  proposition  thus  advanced, 
and  his  intense  Americanism  asserted  itself  in  the 
reply  that  was  wired  to  this  country  and  which  by 
unanimous  consent  immediately  became  the  platform 
upon  which  the  magnificent  victory  of  1888  was 
won  by  his  party. 

When  vast  numbers  of  our  people  sought  to  pay 
the  debts  of  our  government  by  the  creation  of 
other  debts  and  new  paper  promises,  his  was  one  of 
the  first  voices  raised  to  sound  the  alarm  and  he 
was.,  largely  instrumental  in  establishing  the  only 
honest  and  patriotic  principle  that  the  gold  of  the 
realm,  pledged  by  national  honor  in  time  of  distress 
should  be  the  only  payment  recognized  by  us  in 
settlement  of  our  debts. 

I  know  that  he  has  been  censured.  The  Press  of 
our  country  in  his  day  winged  at  him  the  poisoned 
arrows  of  criticism,  with  the  venom  characteristic 
of  the  age.  In  a  lesser  degree  they  did  at  Wash- 
ington, Lincoln  and  Garfield. 

But  to-day  a  great  nation  stands  uncovered  in 
the  presence  of  death,  recognizing  that  in  his 
demise  we  suffer  a  national  loss,  and  by  its 
reverent  sorrow  stamps  the  criticism  as  cruel  and 
unjust. 

It  has  always  been  that  greatest  scandal  wans  on 
greatest  state. 

The  crow  can  dip  its  coal-black  wings  in  mire 
And,  undiscovered,  fly  with  its  filth  away ; 
But  should  the  like  the  snow  white  swan  desire. 
The  stain  upon  its  silver  down  would  stay. 
•48 


"When  the  history  of  his  time  shall  have  been 
fully  written,  the  criticism  so  prominent  during  the 
most  active  years  of  his  life  will  remain  unrecorded, 
while  his  intense  Americanism,  his  breadth  of  thought, 
his  intense  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  country, 
will  place  him  with  Lincoln  and  Bismarck  and  Glad- 
stone, as  the  greatest  men  of  his  age. 

By  Mr.  O'SULLIVAN: 

We  have  turned  from  the  common  course  of  our 
deliberations  for  a  moment  to  consider  an  event  in  the 
history  of  the  world ;  and  the  manner  of  our  turning, 
no  less  than  the  cause  of  it,  awakens  reflections  which 
lead  us  a  long  way  back  in  the  path  of  history — back 
to  those  chivalrous  times  when  plumed  knights  on 
tented  fields  sought  death  or  glory  in  defense  of  the 
colors  they  wore;  back  to  those  times  when  mailed 
barons,  sword  in  hand,,  defended  their  castles  against 
the  encroachments  of  invading  barons.  Through  the 
obscurity  which  bedims  the  history  of  those  distant 
times  we  can  catch  the  gleam  of  many  a  wholesome 
and  beautiful  custom,  but  of  none  more  wholesome  or 
beautiful  than  that  medieval  custom  called  the  "  Truce 
of  God."  When  the  vesper  belL  had  sounded  the  knell 
of  departing  day,  as  though  a  better  world  conversed 
with  ours,  all  conflict  between  man  and  man  was 
ceased.  Even  though  the  sword  had  pierced  through 
links  of  steel  on  its  way  to  the  warrior's  breast  when 
the  evening  chime  had  sounded  the  knell  of  departing 
day,  as  though  heaven  itself  had  spoken,  the  sword 
found  its  scabbard,  and  warrior's  hand  sought  warrior's 
hand  in  the  grasp  of  peace. 

80 


games 


To-night  we,  of  opposing  political  creeds,  believe 
that  no  warrior  of  old  ever  contended  for  nobler  colors 
than  those  for  the  security  of  which  we  contend  — 
the  colors  which  stand  for  American  freedom,  the 
flag  of  our  country. 

We  believe  that  no  men  of  any  clime  or  time  ever 
defended  homes  more  dear  to  them  than  are  ours  to 
us — the  homes  upon  which  the  nation  itself  is  founded. 
Representing  these  homes  here,  but  regarding  their 
security  through  conflicting  political  views,  we  some- 
times meet  in  the  clash  of  political  conflict.  In  the 
heat  of  debate  we 'may  sometimes  forget  the  sincerity 
of  purpose  which  animates  opposition  to  us,  and  for- 
getf ulness  may  lead  to  bitter  animosity ;  but  now  we 
banish  all  bitterness  and  political  dissension.  Strife 
is  changed  to  peace,  because  heaven  has  spoken  again, 
and  this  time  James  Gillespie  Elaine  has  answered 
its  call.  Well  may  we  meet  in  peace  this  hour,  and 
profitably  may  we  devote  ourselves  to  the  memory 
of  that  grand  American  whose  bark  is  now  sailing 
out  on  Eternity's  Sea,  because  the  principles  which 
we  cherish  and  the  homes  that  we  love  have  lost  a 
friend  in  the  death  of  James  Gillespie  Elaine.  Thou- 
sands of  his  countrymen  have  lost  the  idol  of  their 
lives,  his  party  a  Warwick,  and  his  country  a  citizen 
who,  above  all  things,  was  American,  grandly  American 
to  the  last. 

But  the  Americanism  of  Elaine  was  not  confined  by 
the  boundaries  of  his  country ;  it  spread  out  over  this 
entire  western  continent ;  it  spread  out  over  this  entire 
western  world,  from  the  ice-bound  fields  of  the  North  to 
the  surging  seas  of  the  South.  When  future  genera- 

51 


Jn 


tions  shall  behold  all  the  nations  of  these  American 
continents  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  that  peace,  that 
prosperity,  and  that  freedom  which  we  now  enjoy, 
then  shall  they  behold  realized  the  hopeful  Ameri- 
canism of  James  Gillespie  Elaine. 

Kind  and  gentle  as  a  child,  bold  and  daring  as  a 
lion,  he  was  loved  by  his  friends  and  feared  by  his 
foes.  Believing  that  there  was  no  place  in  American 
politics  for  the  flying  squadrons  of  political  fortune 
hunters,  he  was  deeply  partisan.  His  zealous  partisan- 
ship, his  brilliant  mind,  and  the  charm  of  his  eloquence 
were  devoted  to  the  development  and  the  success  of 
his  party  to  such  an  extent  that  his  party's  losses  and 
his  party's  triumphs  were  largely  the  losses  and  the 
triumphs  of  Elaine 

A  writer  and  maker  of  history,  he  left  little  else  to 
the  political  historian  of  his  time  than  the  story  of 
Elaine. 

Not  only  the  parties  and  the  history  of  his  time  felt 
the  influence  of  his  power ;  but  he  even  left  the  impres- 
sion of  his  genius  upon  the  Constitution  of  his  country ; 
so  that  his  name  shall  not  die  while  the  Union  lives; 
and  the  Union  shall  live  and  go  on  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  its  magnificent  destinies,  while  American  citi- 
zens, regardless  of  political  affiliations  unite  in  tributes 
of  devotion  to  the  memory  of  such  an  American  as 
James  Gillespie  Elaine. 

I  second  the  resolution. 

By  Mr.  R.  HOBBIE: 

Mr.  SPEAKER. — I  trust  I  shall  not  be  considered  guilty 
of  impropriety  in  presuming  to  add  a  word  to  the 

82 


3<twes  (Sttlespie 


eloquent  tributes  that  have  been  paid  to  the  memory 
of  the  illustrious  dead.  As  a  native  of  that  State  which 
he  particularly  loved,  and  which  has  been  identified 
with  his  public  life  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
I  have  watched  with  glad  pride  his  uninterrupted  advance 
through  the  various  gradations  of  national  distinction, 
until  he  stood  alone  before  the  world  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  of  his  time.  And  I  feel,  sir,  that  that  State 
and  her  citizens  have  sustained  a  loss  which  benumbs 
all  power  of  expression.  There  are  griefs  which  lie 
too  deep  for  words.  And  yet  the  grief  of  her  sons  is 
not  an  isolated  sorrow.  Their  bereavement  is  shared  by 
the  citizens  of  this  imperial  commonwealth,  which  has  felt 
not  only  the  strong  pulsation  of  the  channels  of  commerce 
responding  to  the  impress  of  his  far-seeing,  beneficent  pub- 
lic policy  but  has  also  experienced  the  thrill  of  patriotic 
fervor  when,  at  his  command,  the  bonds  of  foreign  prisons 
were  burst  asunder,  and  an  astonished  world  learned 
that  no  bolts  nor  bars  were  strong  enough  to  hold,  for  a 
moment  unoffending  American  citizens  —  aye,  citizens  of 
our  own  Empire  State  —  acknowledging  their  allegiance 
to  the  land  of  their  birth  or  adoption.  In  the  observ- 
ance of  this  hour  Maine-  and  New  York  but  voice  the 
swelling  tide  of  sorrow  which  rolls  across  the  continent ; 
no  American  so  humble  but  feels  a  personal  loss,  none  so 
exalted  but  mourns  his  great  leader  gone.  My  heart 
has  been  deeply  moved  by  the  vivid  portrayal  of  the 
events  of  his  life,  the  eloquent  recital  of  his  distinguished 
public  services,  his  wisdom,  candor  and  courage,  the 
impressive  appeal  to  the  intelligent  manhood  of 
America  to  emulate  and  perpetuate  his  illustrious 
example,  and,  sir,  as  an  American,  who  realizes  the 

53 


supreme  dignity  conferred  upon  American  citizenship 
by  the  intensity  of  his  enlightened  patriotism,  I  have 
felt  constrained  to  acknowledge,  however  imperfectly, 
my  own  sense  of  gratitude  to  him  who  will  stand  forth 
among  the  historic  figures  of  this  century  as  the  pre- 
eminent exponent  of  American  ideas,  aims  and  civiliza 
tion  —  JAMES  GILLESPIE  ELAINE. 

By  Mr.  TERRY  : 

Mr.  SPEAKER. —  Another  soul,  restless  in  human  sphere, 
has  broken  the  chains  that  bound  it  to  mortality.  The 
light  of  another  life  has  gone  out  forever.  Again  the 
funeral  train,  with  measured  tread,  has  borne  its 
burden  to  the  tomb.  Again  the  nation  mourns.  And 
here  to-night,  pausing  at  the  grave  of  the  distin- 
guished dead,  I,  too,  bow  in  reverence  and  drop  a  teai 
of  sorrow  for  his  untimely  death. 

I  can  not  add  to  what  has  already  been  said  in  review 
of  the  life-history  of  the  deceased,  nor  to  the  eulogies, 
eloquent  and  fitting,  that  have  been  pronounced  upon 
him  by  the  honorable  gentlemen  who  have  preceded 
me,  and  yet,  in  memory  of  a  life  spent  in  the  service 
of  his  country  and  sacrificed  upon  its  altar,  in  apprecia- 
tion of  human  merit  and  excellence,  in  homage  tc 
intellectual  power  and  greatness,  in  adoration  of  James 
Gillespie  Elaine,  I  desire  to  say  a  word  on  this  solemn 
occasion. 

During  the  darkest  days  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  when  unholy  war  was  the  arbitrator  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  and  later,  when  the  great 
problems  of  reconstruction  were  the  absorbing  topic? 
of  national  consideration,  it  frequently  was  my  privilege 

84 


and  pleasure  to  listen  to  Mr.  Elaine  in  debate,  in  the 
House  of  Congress.  It  was  there  I  became  acquainted 
with  him ;  it  was  there  I  learned  to  respect  and  admire 
him,  and  ever  since,  during  the  many  years  that  have 
followed,  I  have  watched  his  advance,  step  by  step,  to 
honor  and  fame.  The  way  was  steep  and  rugged,  with 
pitfalls  on  every  hand ;  but  fearlessly  walking  in  the 
light  of  those  memorable  words  of  his  early  manhood. 
"Dare  to  do  right,  and  trust  the  consequences  to  Infi- 
nite "Wisdom,"  he  overcame  every  obstacle  and  proudly 
strode  onward  and  upward  to  the  exalted  position  oi 
America's  greatest  statesman. 

Such  lofty  eminence,  with  its  honors  and  rewards, 
its  powers  and  privileges,  could  not  escape  the  attacks 
of  bitter  jealousy.  Had  he  enemies?  Many  of  them, 
to  his  credit  be  it  said.  Who  has  not,  who  has  the 
courage  of  his  convictions,  or  whose  independence  of 
thought  and  action  is  worthy  of  example  ?  Disappointed 
ambition  hesitates  not  to  assail  the  honored,  nor  men 
of  inferior  intellects,  to  disparage  mental  and  moral 
greatness.  Always  in  the  advance  in  formulating  great 
measures  of  national  interest,  and  undaunted  in  his 
advocacy  of  them,  it  is  not  strange  that  sometimes  his 
motives  were  criticised  and  his  theories  condemned; 
but  the  lapse  of  time,  with  its  opportunities  for  the 
fulfillment  of  his  plans,  demonstrated  the  purity  of 
his  intentions,  the  genius  of  his  mind  and  the  wisdom 
of  his  policies.  A  partisan,  ambitious  and  zealous,  he 
may  have  been,  but  that  which  men  denounce  to-day 
as  partisanship  ofttimes  to-morrow  is  patriotism. 
Whether  surrounded  by  the  cares  and  perplexities  of 
official  position,  or  in  social  or  private  life,  he  was 

SB 


the  same  courteous,  genial  and  polished  gentleman. 
In  presence  he  was  dignified,  majestic;  tireless  in 
action,  eloquent  in  speech  and  peerless  in  debate. 

But,  alas,  with  the  zenith  of  fame  still  in  the  dis- 
tance ;  with  his  fondest  life-hope  crushed  to  earth ; 
with  the  years  allotted  man  to  live  not  yet  numbered 
to  him ;  perchance  with  other  and  greater  measures  of 
national  greatness  awaiting  discovery  in  his  master 
mind,  DE^TH,  that  mysterious  something  of  which  we 
have  neither  knowledge  nor  understanding,  overtook 
him  and  bore  him  to  the  silent  halls  of  the  dead. 

"  Dust  to  dust,  ashes  to  ashes "  —  how  solemn  and 
cheerless  the  words — and  the  grave  closed  'round  him 
forever.  Is  that  all?  —  the  end  of  all?  Does  he  sleep 
the  sleep  that  knows  no  waking,  or  shall  he  in  the 
fullness  of  time  put  on  immortality?  "As  the  cloud 
is  consumed  and  vanisheth  away,  so  he  that  goeth 
down  to  the  grave  shall  come  up  no  more,"  saith 
the  Prophet.  Can  this  be  \  Then  dark  and  hopeless 
indeed  is  the  future.  But  not  so:  within  every  heart 
a  voice  whispers  of  the  resurrection  morn,  of  eternal 
life,  of  happy  reunions  and  holy  associations  beyond 
the  veil  in  the  Kingdom  of  God.  With  these 
assurances  and  believing,  as  we  may,  that  not  only 
he  whose  loss  we  lament  to-night  but  the  dead  of 
all  the  ages  past,  our  own  loved  ones  as  well,  are 
waiting  for  us,  yea,  are  beckoning  us  from  the  other 
shore,  verily  the  sting,  the  mockery  of  death  is 
shorn  of  bitterness. 

He  can  not  come  up  to  us  but  we  shall  go  down  to 
him.  The  way  of  life,  strewn  with  cares  and  hedged 
with  anguish,  is  but  a  span  long;  the  cradle  and 

86 


taiiue. 


the  grave  follow  in  quick  succession ;  and  time, 
like  a  stream  in  narrow  gorge,  rushes  on  in  headlong 
haste  to  the  eternity  of  years  —  to  that  haven  of 
peace  "  where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling  and 
the  weary  are  at  rest." 

"A  wonderful  stream  is  the  river  of  time, 

As  it  runs  through    the  realm  of  tears ; 
With  a  faultless  rhythm  and  a  musical  rhyme, 
And  a  broader  sweep  and  a  surge  sublime, 
As  it  blends  in  the  ocean  of  years." 

Pyramids  of  granite,  beautiful  in  design  and  appro- 
priate in  inscription,  will  testify  a  people's  tribute 
to  his  worth;  but  these,  with  the  burden  of  cen- 
turies upon  them,  may  crumble  to  dust.  Not  so  the 
monuments  of  his  own  creation  —  his  public  and  private 
life.  These,  ages  shall  not  efface  nor  time  destroy 
but  as  "  as  a  cloud  by  d&y  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by 
night,"  they  shall  endure  forever  to  inspire  the  youth 
of  our  land  to  nobler  aims,  to  loftier  ambitions,  to 
lives  of  honor  and  renown. 

Mr.  Speaker,  a  mighty  man  has  fallen;  a  noble 
chieftain,  an  eminent  statesman  has  gone  to  his  rest. 
We  mourn,  we  offer  kind  words  of  sympathy  to  the 
afflicted  family  and  friends ;  but,  considering  that 
which  most  concerneth  him,  let  us  dry  our  tears, 
for  our  loss  is  his  gain. 

By  Mr.  McCoEMicK : 

Mr.  SPEAKER. — The  county  of  Orleans  stands  second  to 
no  other  in  its  admiration  for  the  distinguished  services 
and  great  ability  of  the  honored  dead;  and  it  desires 
upon  this  occasion  to  join  hands  with  the  other  counties 

57 


of  this  great  State  in  doing  honor  to  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  James  G.  Elaine,  and  in  rendering  proper  sympa- 
thy to  his  family  and  his  friends.  The  vocabulary  of 
adjectives  has  already  been  exhausted^  which  are  proper 
to  be  used  on  this  occasion,  by  the  distinguished  gentle- 
men who  have  preceded  me ;  and,  Mr.  Speaker,  as  I  have 
no  desire  to  hold  this  House  to  listen  to  a  repetition  of 
the  same,  I  will,  at  once,  in  behalf  of  the  county  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  represent,  most  heartily  and  sincerely 
second  the  motion  for  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  put  the  question  whether  the  House 
would  agree  to  the  adoption  of  the  foregoing  resolu- 
tions, and  they  were  adopted  unanimously. 

Then,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Quigley,  the  House  adjourned. 

38 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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ft  $OV  0519 14 


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Form  L9 — 15*n-10,'48(Bl039)444 


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Senate  and  Assembly 


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